Abstract
This paper proposes a Complexity Covariance Hypothesis, whereby linguistic complexity covaries with cultural and socio-political complexity, and argues for an Evolutionary Inference Principle, in accordance with which, in domains where linguistic complexity correlates positively with cultural/socio-political complexity, simpler linguistic structures are evolutionarily prior to their more complex counterparts. Applying this methodology in a case study, the covariance of linguistic and cultural/socio-political complexity is examined by means of a cross-linguistic survey of tense–aspect–mood (TAM) marking in a worldwide sample of 868 languages. A novel empirical finding emerges: all else being equal, languages from small language families tend to have optional TAM marking, while languages from large language families are more likely to exhibit obligatory TAM marking. Since optional TAM marking is simpler than obligatory TAM marking, it can, therefore, be inferred that optional TAM marking is evolutionarily prior to obligatory TAM marking: a living fossil. In conclusion, it is argued that the presence of obligatory TAM marking, correlated with the more highly grammaticalized expression of thematic-role assignment, is a reflection of a deeper property of grammatical organization, namely, the grammaticalization of predication. Thus, it is suggested that the development of agriculture and resulting demographic expansions, resulting in the emergence of large language families, are a driving force in the evolution of predication in human language.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages’.
Highlights
Before they were committed to writing, ancient languages did not leave behind any records that might show us what they were like and how they evolved
The results of this paper suggest that the emergence of predication in grammar is correlated with rapid demographic expansions and the rise of large language families, thereby providing a clear instantiation of the Complexity Covariance Hypothesis in (1)
The evolutionary or phylogenetic approach looks into the distant past, asking how humans and their ancestors progressed from not having any language whatsoever to enjoying mastery of the richness and diversity of today’s full-fledged languages
Summary
Before they were committed to writing, ancient languages did not leave behind any records that might show us what they were like and how they evolved. In those domains for which the Complexity Covariance Hypothesis can be empirically demonstrated to be valid, positive correlations between linguistic and cultural/sociopolitical complexity may be invoked in order to support the claim that the simpler linguistic structures are evolutionary prior to the more complex ones. This methodological principle can be summarized below.
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